(SILVER SPRING, MD – November 9, 2021) Today, Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation announce the inaugural cohort of The Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship).
The 15-member cohort of aspiring leaders with significant experience in Career Technical Education (CTE), represent 12 states, include 13 professionals of color, and reflect multiple dimensions of equity and diverse professional backgrounds at secondary and postsecondary institutions at the local, district and state level. Fellows were selected through a competitive application process and reviewed by a national advisory committee. The 15-month fellowship begins this month and ends in January 2023.
The Fellowship strives to address the growing shortage of state postsecondary CTE leadership by closing racial representation gaps and removing equity barriers to leadership advancement. Through individualized supports, intentional networks and a real-world fellowship project, Advance CTE-ECMCF Fellows will gain the skills and network to pursue leadership positions and advance high-quality, equitable state postsecondary CTE systems.
“We are grateful to ECMC Foundation for this opportunity to tackle a systemic challenge in state CTE systems: representational diversity in leadership positions. We know that when leaders reflect the communities they serve, learners thrive and succeed,” stated Kimberly Green, Executive Director of Advance CTE. “We were humbled by the strong interest and diverse pool of applicants for this Fellowship that allowed us to achieve over 80 percent representation by professionals of color in the inaugural class. We look forward to serving and supporting the Fellows as they build their network, knowledge and racial equity leadership lens and skills on their way to securing state postsecondary CTE leadership.”
“We recognize the important role and unique position of state leaders to implement system reforms, close equity gaps and meet the demands of industry,” said Jennifer Zeisler, Career Readiness Senior Director, ECMC Foundation. “We are thrilled Advance CTE has selected a cohort of Advance CTE-ECMCF Fellows that reflect the diverse students in postsecondary CTE programs and look forward to welcoming the dynamic group into ECMC Foundation’s CTE Leadership Collaborative where they will join nearly 200 ECMC Foundation Fellows working across disciplines and geographies to improve postsecondary CTE.”
Advance CTE’s vision for CTE, Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education, prioritizes the need to recruit, retain and support a diverse and culturally competent CTE workforce. Launched in August 2021, the Fellowship aims to strengthen both the capacity and diversity of state CTE postsecondary leadership pipeline by cultivating skills for and removing systemic barriers to leadership advancement, particularly for aspiring leaders of color. Applications for the second cohort will open in early Spring 2022.
2021-2023 Advance CTE-ECMCF Fellows
Tara Bordeaux, Austin Independent School District, Texas
Justin Chin, Lane Community College, Oregon
Dr. Kristin Corkhill, Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Georgia
Heather Covington, Wake County Public School System, North Carolina
Rich Crosby, Trinity Valley Community College, Texas
Dr. La-Tonya Dixon, Alabama A&M University, Alabama
Dr. Dimitria Harding, South Central College, Minnesota
Raymond James, Greenville Technical College, South Carolina
Carlos Lopez, Emily Griffith Technical College, Colorado
Jean Claude Mbomeda, California Community Colleges, California
Curtis Scales, Arkansas Department of Education Career and Technical Education, Arkansas
Yolanda Grant Terrell, Alabama Community College System, Alabama
Donald Walker, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Michigan
Tony Warren, Calhoun Intermediate School District Department of Career and Technical Education, Michigan
Janelle Washington, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois
Visit Advance CTE’s Fellowship web page for more information about the program and profiles of each Advance CTE-ECMCF Fellow.
Advance CTE is the longest-standing national non-profit that represents State Directors and state leaders responsible for secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Established in 1920, Advance CTE supports state CTE leadership to advance high-quality and equitable CTE policies, programs and pathways that ensure career and college success for each learner.
ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation with a mission to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under ECMC Group (www.ecmcgroup.org) enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential.
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Media Contact:
Stacy Whitehouse, swhitehouse@careertech.org
Senior Associate, Communications and State Engagement
